Hacking and viruses:

It can be really annoying and sometimes upsetting to have one of your accounts hacked into or get a virus on your computer.

To help protect yourself from hackers it's a good idea to create a strong password that cannot easily be guessed.  Putting extra things like capital letters or numbers in a password can make it stronger and less easy for someone to imitate.  It's important to keep your passwords private, even from your friends, as this reduces the risk of others getting hold of it.  A lot of people use the same password for different accounts.  It's a good idea to use different passwords, or at least vary them slightly for each different account. This means that if someone does get hold of your password, they can't then get into lots of your different accounts.

If your account has already been hacked, go into your account and change the password immediately.  If you have been locked out of your account, contact the hosts of the website to ask for either, the account to be opened to you or deleted completely. 

For lots of advice and information on protecting yourself from hacking or what to do if your account has already been hacked, visit www.getsafeonline.org

To help protect yourself from viruses, don't click on links that you are sent (in email, IM, posted on your wall, etc) that are from somebody that you don't know or don't trust.  It is also important to make sure that you have up to date anti virus software on your computer. 

For lots of great advice about how to prevent or deal with viruses, have a look at www.getsafeonline.org